Theater; one of Fullerton’s Academy of the Arts most prized art form. Throughout the years, many Fullerton great’s have strode through these halls and continue to this day.

Junior Michael Laverde is only one example of the talent that passes through Fullerton’s Academy of the Arts.

Laverde has been performing in theater productions since the sixth grade. He was inspired to audition after seeing a friend in a production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

  “I saw it and I thought ‘that looks fun’ so I gave it a try and did The Wizard of Oz,” Laverde said. “I was a flying monkey and it was something I really enjoyed, I loved the feeling of pleasing an audience with a great performance.”

Laverde believes that the hardest part of putting on a production is getting into the rhythm of a show.

“Once you finally get into the pace of what a full production feels like, it’s hard not to lose that rhythm,” Laverde said. “The hardest part is definitely finding new discoveries about the show and about ourselves every single night.”

Laverde draws inspiration from professionals in the industry such as Neil Patrick Harris, Gene Kelly, and Christian Borle.

“All my directors inspire me because they see my potential and they push me further,” Laverde said.

Laverde has recently started playing more comedic roles, which was a struggle at first because he didn’t necessarily consider himself a comedic actor.

“It has forced me to get out of my comfort zone, but I’m really enjoying it.” Laverde said

Whenever Laverde gets a role, he commits to embodying that character to the best of his ability.

Laverde uses a character development program in which one strikes a specific physical pose to embrace a character’s emotions.

“I have developed it for the last few shows I’ve done. So every time I walk on stage as my character, I’ll get into a position and it helps get me in the mindset of who that character is,” Laverde said. “The point of it is too take all the prior research I have and apply it to whatever character I am trying to convey.”  

Laverde hopes to continue on his  journey and study theater for four years at a university.

“I hope to get a BFA in either musical theater or acting, and start auditioning for shows,” Laverde said. “It’s my passion, I cannot see myself doing anything else!”