ÐÔÓûÉç

Outstanding Majors

IN HER OWN WORDS:

Kjrsten Colleen Schindler
2024-25 Student of the Year
Department of Theatre & Film

Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Winona, Minnesota and was raised in Minnesota (0-1), Wisconsin (1-4), South Dakota (4-15), and Alaska (11-current).

Why did you choose to study at ÐÔÓûÉç?
I originally decided to study at ÐÔÓûÉç because it was close to home.  A lot was going on in my life: my dad was ill with a terminal disease, I was an only child, and we had a farm.  So, I ended up attending ÐÔÓûÉç in Fall 2019 right after graduating high school so I could stay close to home to help my parents as much as possible.  Originally, I intended to study at ÐÔÓûÉç for my first few years then transfer to Utah State University (USU) later on since that’s where my family went to university.  Over time, ÐÔÓûÉç and the people there grew on me, so I decided to stay!

When did you first decide to pursue a degree in FLPA/ Theatre Concentration?
At ÐÔÓûÉç, I originally was a student majoring in Biology and Pre-Veterinary studies.  After my dad died in January 2021, I finished my spring semester at ÐÔÓûÉç.  Then I decided to spend the summer at Utah State University (USU) to feel closer to him.  At USU, I took my first film class and absolutely loved it.  When I returned to ÐÔÓûÉç in the fall of that same year, I took my first acting class and my first psychology class.  This was the turning point.  The next spring semester, my first vocal performance class became the catalyst for switching majors.  So, I switched my major from Biology to a double major in Film and Performing Arts: Film Concentration and Psychology and double minors in Music: Vocal Performance and Creative Writing.  A couple of semesters later, I added Theatre and Justice as additional minors.  So now, I will be graduating in May 2025 with double majors in Film and Performing Arts: Film Concentration and Psychology as well as quadruple minors in Theatre, Music: Vocal Performance, Creative Writing, and Justice!

What first attracted you to theatre and film?
My first distinct memory of theatre was when my family visited Las Vegas for my dad’s conferences when I was about 7 years old.  I remember that we went to the theatre there and saw one of the last performances of The Phantom of the Opera that was playing.  It was so awesome that we ended up going the next night as well.  At that performance, we were on the floor near the back.  There were a lot of open seats as there were not a lot of people there.  The usher came up to us and asked if I wanted to sit closer to the stage, saying that if I did, something cool would happen with the chandelier.  My parents said that would be fine since there weren’t a lot of people.  So the usher took me and sat me right under the huge chandelier.  In the scene right before intermission, the chandelier fell right over me, falling so close that I felt like I could reach up and touch it!  I think I might have even tried to do so because I was so entranced.  Since then, I’ve always had an interest in theatre!

What experiences at ÐÔÓûÉç have contributed to your academic and artistic success?
The first thing would definitely be the support of my family, friends, and the theatre/film faculty!  I have had amazing experiences with faculty like Carrie Baker, Maya Salganek, Kade Mendelowitz, and others.  There were many projects that really contributed to my success as well like being stage manager for ÐÔÓûÉç mainstage productions like The Shape of Things (Spring 2023) and Dance Nation (Fall 2023); assistant stage managing Tiny Beautiful Things (Fall 2024); and acting in Strike! (spring 2025).  These experiences were not only amazing for me but also very meaningful as they taught me to be able to manage multiple things all at once, helping me in not only theatre but also in my school life, my work, and my personal life!  I have also been on the sound team for short films like Strange Embrace (spring 2024) and Mend (spring 2025).  These experiences taught me how to work more smoothly with others and inspired me to work on my own projects!

Do you have any advice for new FLPA students?
My biggest piece of advice would be: don’t be afraid to try everything at least once!  That’s how I am where I am now: I tried it once and loved it so much that it’s what I’m doing now.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions and take advantage of various opportunities.  Believe in yourself!  When I was stage manager for Dance Nation, I was also working, taking 21 credits, and still got excellent grades.  If I can handle that, you can handle anything as long as you put your mind to it and believe in yourself!!  If you are able to take advantage of the opportunities provided, you will grow, come out of your shell, and do things you didn’t think you would be able to do.  When I took my first FLPA class (Fundamentals of Acting), I had terrible stage fright, my hands would shake and I often felt like I had to throw up.  I’m still nervous to be on stage sometimes, but after taking advantage of so many opportunities, I am now more confident in myself and am doing things I never thought I could do - like be an actor for a mainstage production (Strike!).

Please tell me about your most influential theatre or film projects while at ÐÔÓûÉç.
My most influential film project that I worked on was Strange Embrace.  Partially because it was my first official film set, but also because it was such an amazing experience getting to work with friends and gain experience.  It was extremely memorable to me because it was my first official film set, the first intensive film set class, I worked with a lot of my friends, and my mom was even an extra so she was able to have an immersive experience of what it is that I do.

My most influential theatre project I worked on was The Shape of Things.  The director, Rachel Blackwell, was amazing to work with and everyone was so patient with me as I was learning everything as stage manager.  The distinct memory I have from that play was during my first ever tech week (which has now become my favorite part of a show) on the night we were doing cue-to-cue.  I remember that I didn’t really know what I was supposed to do but Kade Mendelowitz was so amazing when teaching me what to do.  He sat next to me and explained everything in the moment of how cue-to-cue worked and what I was supposed to do and also praised me for doing a good job throughout rehearsal!

My most influential writing project (that is still ongoing) was my full-length, original radio play called Aschenstiefel: Twisted Cinderella.  The radio play is currently in post-production and is scheduled to be officially released by the end of this semester.  Even though this was an independent project, not through the department, everyone was kind and supportive of my efforts.  This inspired me to start editing it for stage (adding some more scenes based on feedback I received) and start writing my pitch to hopefully put it on stage (still in progress, fingers crossed)!

What are your plans for after graduation?
I am currently applying to graduate schools for clinical counseling.  Even though I am not directly going into something FLPA related, I intend to not only stay in the FLPA scene but also take specific classes and participate in continuing education so I am able to use what I’ve learned as tools for my counseling career (for example: acting therapy, writing therapy, building therapy, music therapy, art therapy, etc.).  I look forward to sharing what I’ve learned not only in my future work but also to the community as I will still be auditioning for plays as well as writing my own plays and short films.