There are a variety of student actors who were involved in the production of Winter Workshops 2025. These actors brought the stories and characters to life. Understanding how they prepare for their roles and how they draw emotion is what transformed the shows. The Acting Magazine speaks on how being in this environment helps actors grow and flourish.
Timeline of Winter Workshops 2025
October 4, 2025: Auditions
October 5, 2025: Callbacks
October 6-November 13, 2025: Rehearsals and Tech Rehearsals
November 14 & 15, 2025: Performances
Drawing Emotion from Noah Peterson
As he steps out onto the stage, a light illuminates his every feature. Before he even says anything, excitement is flowing through his veins. Noah Peterson is a freshman at Olivet, majoring in Theatre Production and Performance, and was the lead role for “A Monster Calls”.
Playing such a complex character, Peterson had to change his mindset to step into Conor’s shoes. Peterson would reflect on his life in personal situations that were similar to Conor’s and draw from those emotions.
The relationship between the monster and Conor was unique and special, and Peterson had to find a way to bring that relationship to life. One of the big things Peterson said was trying to figure out if the monster is real or just a figment of Conor’s imagination.
I question if the monster is a coping mechanism for Conor as he grieves his mother.
noah peterson
Being a student and in theatre is learning how to balance everything. One of Peterson’s biggest issues is all the responsibilities he has to do plus be ready for the play. Acting is something that Peterson has a deep passion for. He says when he’s acting he doesn’t even feel his own emotions, only his character’s.
The Two Faces of Ella Carder
Looking into the mirror she doesn’t even recognize herself. She then takes a deep breath and steps out onto stage to bring her character to life. Ella Carder is a senior double-majoring in Multimedia =with a concentration in Film Studies and Theatre Production and Performance. Carder was in two of the three plays of Winter Workshops, “The Yellow Wallpaper”and “We Can’t Talk About This”.
“The Yellow Wallpaper” is about a woman in the 1920’s with postpartum depression and Carder’s character was the antagonist named Jenny. “We Can’t Talk About This” is about domestic violence where Carder played the eldest daughter Jody. Playing two diverse roles, Carder had to reframe her mindset to act each character. When acting Carder is not showing what she’s feeling in the present, but rather the past.
Ella carderI would discover the same time as building her.
She feels empathy for Jody by putting herself in their shoes. National Library of Medicine speaks on how actors are expected to recognize emotional expression of others or in this case their characters. When on stage Carder has feelings of anxiety and nervousness, but she channels them and ends up loving the anxiety.
After the conclusion of Winter Workshops, it is not often that Carder walks away from a role thinking she acted to the best of her abilities but, for her final performance she felt just that. Winter Workshops taught her to be more confident in herself and gave her eagerness to try new things.
