Get to know me

Tell us about what you brought you all the way to Fort Dodge from

Sweden!

All my life I’ve been a swimmer through and through. So many important moments and decisions in my life have revolved around the sport, so naturally college followed that trend. As we don’t really have the opportunity to combine sport and college back home, I looked at the US for options. I was fortunate to have a lot of teammates already swimming at various schools and my club team coach already had some contacts, especially in the Midwest. In the end Iowa Central was the only real option I had, financing is hard as an international and I really wanted to take that next step. So being affordable and an intriguing place, I decided to go. It was definitely nerve wracking at first, but I did come here with a friend of mine and my family supported me the whole way. In the end it was definitely one of those life defining choices and I am so happy I ended up here. Which might sound weird to any Fort Dodge native.

Growing up, were you involved in anything musically or involving theatre?

As a kid I played guitar for a bit but I was quite bad at it so that didn’t last. My parents however, are somewhat musically gifted in their own ways. As long as I can remember my dad would always play Phil Collins, Genesis and AC/DC on our home stereo. There’s a bunch of videos of me playing with a tambourine and wanting to be Phil Collins when I was little. Even though he himself doesn’t play any instruments, I am convinced my dad would make an amazing drummer as he is always tapping on things and making beats. My mom is a pretty good piano player, although she won’t admit it. After my sister started lessons we got a small electric piano in our hallway that she’ll play from time to time. So there is definitely some influence, but in a more non-traditional way. Theatre wise I did one super short middle school play about vikings. It was really just a presentation on what we learnt in class, but in costume. My aunt made me this amazing viking costume that I remember vividly. Other than that I didn’t really interact with theatre all that much. Before coming here I could count the number of plays and musicals I’d seen one

one hand.

Do you come from an “artsy” family?

Both my parents are definitely appreciative of the arts, but not super involved. My mom, besides the piano, is a huge fan of arts museums and literature. As a kid she would always encourage me to read, making me into somewhat of a bookworm. She is also technically a published poet, as her class once published a poetry collection once. My dad is big on music and movies. He certainly raised me with those two things in mind. It was always a big event when I was old enough to see another one of the old classics. Be it a Spaghetti Western with Enrico Morricone’s score or a new Star Wars or Lord of the Rings movie. They’ve never shied away from any form of art and in hindsight I can see how that opened my own mind to it.

Tell us what your first experience on the stage, performing, was like.

My first semester here I ended up in an acting class with Teresa Jackson. During one of our lectures we toured the Center for Performing arts as they were gearing up to produce that year's fall play, Community Garden. I was instantly enthralled by the facility and asked to help out with the set building. So I was introduced to Ashley Garst, Brady O’Brien and Scott Duell. Every work call was such a blast I just kept showing up, so after afew weeks I was offered a small ensemble role with one or two lines, which I of course accepted. During rehearsals I was quite nervous as being in front of people has never been a strength of mine. But as the process went on and we ended up performing, I found myself very at peace and excited to perform. It was surprisingly similar to “performing” in the pool, which as a swimmer I was very familiar with. The thrill of standing in the wings before your scene, seeing your castmates perform and the bright lights made for this special atmosphere I quickly fell in love with. So surprisingly, my first experience was very positive. It was fun, exhilarating and easy in that it wasn’t much stressful. Much thanks to the amazing direction of Mrs Jackson and the work of everyone in the cast and the faculty.

What do you most enjoy about performing?

There are two words I think describe my feelings on performing, ephemeral and communion. Something being ephemeral is basically just saying it’s a moment in time. It exists then and there and never again, giving it that special spark. Communion is a very theoretical word for the “bond” that exists between actors and audiences. Put together one can say that a performer experiences communion with their fellows during those ephemeral moments that make up a performance. This is all a fancy way of saying that I love those small moments on stage where I feel truly connected to my castmates or to the audience. The thrill of hearing laughter at a joke you just made, or to feel your character growing together with other actors on stage is a very special feeling that is hard to capture in words. All the work and memoirs of rehearsal that go into those few performances make every second on stage special and memorable.

If you could play any role in a theatre production, who would you

play?

Funnily enough I never gravitate towards leading or good characters. Some of my favourite ones include Gleb from Anastasia and Javert from Les Miserables. To me, the idea of playing a villain just sounds so much more fun than anything else. Especially one that is more morally grey, as these characters are. They are also baritone roles, which fits my voice so much better than other musical theatre characters. Additionally their songs are some of my favourite musical theatre pieces, and to perform them on stage would be so much fun.

What made you decide to write your own, original, theatrical script?

I’ve always been a bookworm and dreamt of writing, but I’ve never had the time or courage to actually give it a proper try. Being here now, surrounded by the right people, gave me the courage to actually try. Earlier this year I started writing a novel, a few short poems and at some point I decided to try and write a play for fun. It was really just intended ¸as a fun writing exercise, but as I heard about the possibility of a student-led production being funded I put more time and effort into it. The last few days before the submission deadline were stressful, especially because I barely had half the script at that point. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my girlfriend Emma. She put so much time into reading everything I wrote and giving feedback and comments. At this point she has probably read the script more than I have.

What is the play about?

The play is called Mr Porter and it centers around the plaza of Macguire park, it’s inhabitants and of course the titular character, Mr Porter who is the buildings overseer. It is a lighthearted vignette type story that follows a young artist trying to find his way in a strange new world full of peculiar characters. Some helpful and supportive and others who are against everything that art is and stands for. The cast is full of talent as many actors have had leading roles in recent Iowa Central productions and everyone involved is so excited to begin this new tradition of student-led productions!

You will be performing this production at the beginning of May. What

are the details? Where? When? Time? Location? Cast List. Give us all the

info.

The play will be performed in Decker Auditorium on the 3rd, 4th and 5th

of May at 7pm. It will be a short one act play taking less than 1 hour and loads of fun! The cast consists of

-Samuel Opfer (Seti in Prince of Egypt and Professor Callahan in Legally Blonde)

as Mr Porter

-Justin Durr (Moses in Prince of Egypt, Emmett Forest in Legally Blonde and

Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast) as Mr Dober

-Emma Davis (Miriam in Prince of Egypt and Paulette in Legally Blonde) as Mrs

Dober,

-Lundyn Jones (Tzipporah in Prince of Egypt) as Lily

-Mason Lundberg (Hotep in Prince of Egypt) as Johnathan

-Steven Fisher (Ramses in Prince of Egypt) as Henrique

-Teagan Barela (Nefertari in Prince of Egypt) as Sam

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What 3 things do you bring and

why?

I’m going to go with the boring answer and say an axe, knife and a survival guide book. I don’t really trust my odds of surviving otherwise.

What activities/groups/ensembles are you currently involved with?

At Iowa Central I am a member of the Swimming Team, Cheerleading Squad, Show choir, Vocal Ensemble, Concert Choir and of course the Theatre department!

What do you want to do after Iowa Central Community College?

This upcoming fall I am transferring to University of South Dakota to pursue my Bachelor’s in Technical Theatre. Hopefully after that I can begin working full time with various behind the scenes projects!

Who are some of your role models? Why?

Firstly my parents, it sounds cliche but they have always supported me and without them I wouldn’t be where I am today. It means so much to have that love from home with you at all times, even more so now that I am so far away. Secondly are the amazing mentors I’ve met here at Iowa Central, Teresa Jackson, Ashley Garst and Brady O’Brien. They introduced me to this amazing world of theatre and have helped me so much with not only technical skills and academics, but they have also helped me grow so much as a person and I am eternally grateful for everything they have done. Lastly are my friends here, all of them are involved in so much, be it sports, music or theatre and the effort and love they put into their lives inspire me each and every day.

Tell us one word that you would use to describe yourself.

Curious. I have always been inquisitive and I was that kid that actually enjoyed going to class and learning new things. That has never stopped being the case and I love learning and seeing new things and growing as a person!