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Culture
Winstead headed to New York drama school By Caroline Dolman | Daily Times Apprentice This fall, many teens will make the transition from the high school classroom to a college campus, where they will ultimately decide what career they would like to pursue. But one soon-to-be freshman already knows what he wants to do with his life: "Theater," said Dave Winstead. Dave, son of Alan and Elizabeth Winstead, will follow this interest at the Tisch School of Drama at New York University next fall. "It's very competitive. There are several thousand people applying for 300 slots every year," said Dave. Despite the long odds, however, Dave decided to apply anyway. "I applied to give it a shot. I also applied to the School of the Arts, and we were looking at other schools in the state also. I fell in love with the campus and the whole program," Dave said of Tisch. Dave has known about Tisch for quite some time. "A lot of kids in ACT! for Youth talk about it, and it's one of the biggest theater schools. Most kids shoot to go to Harvard or Duke, but Tisch is the dream school for theater," he said. And Dave has been involved in theater from a very young age. Tisch's course of study is very different from traditional college curriculums. Unlike most four-year universities, students at Tisch specialize in theater for their first two years, and only then do they take their basic requirement English and mathematics courses. "Freshman year, it's all studio. They want you to get used to living in New York City. For three days a week, you have eight hours of studio a day for two years. You act in your studio," said Dave. Despite Tisch's differences from a traditional college curriculum, students are allowed to branch out into other interests after their sophomore year. "After sophomore year you can do a double major. I have a friend who double-majored in math. You can pick up anything you want," Dave said. But during the first year in the Tisch School, the program focuses on the basics of theater. "Freshman year we're tech, learning how to act, and just learning everything. Learning how everything works in the real world." Barry Page, executive director of the Arts Council of Wilson, is confident of Dave's ability to function in the "real world." "From the age of 10 until he was Gaston in 'Beauty and the Beast,' I saw a young man, extremely talented, who makes the most of every opportunity," Page said. "He learned to balance life in a public school with life in the arts. He learned so much." One of those lessons, according to Page, was how to cope with not getting a desired part in a production. "ACT! for Youth taught him to accept the good with the bad, and he knows how to face it when he gets a part, and when he doesn't. Being able to feel like the world doesn't hate you when you don't get a part is a good life skill to have," Page said. Page said Dave is prepared because of his wide-ranging experience. "He's done tech, he's done everything. He knows what he's getting into," Page said. Brian Wingrove, technical director for ACT! for Youth productions, cites Dave's intelligence and dedication as qualities that will help him succeed. "He has shown a lot of intelligence in the way he learns things, pursuing it, trying to learn as much as he can. He also has a lot of dedication. He'll put a lot of things on hold to make sure a production will come off as best as it can," Wingrove said. "He's very mature," concurred former ACT! for Youth director Caitlin Thuerk. Thuerk describes Dave as "a hard worker who is dedicated to whatever responsibilities he is given." According to Thuerk, Dave went above and beyond the call of duty. "He asked me if he could teach a 'theatrical movement class' after he came back from Governor's School, and he taught the course on a Saturday," she said. "He soaks up all the knowledge that is given to him." At Tisch, he will be taught skills in a variety of areas involving theater. And Dave isn't ruling anything out yet. "I'll take anything," he said. "That's how you have to go into it; taking whatever comes your way."
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