With a five, six, seven, eight, Jamie Kwon stepped out onto stage. The audience cheered when she danced in her colorful costume, hands spread out as she sang, “Bend and snap!” It’s the premiere night of Central’s 2024 spring musical, “Legally Blonde”, and Kwon appeared as the supporting, but key role of Paulette.
Kwon is a senior at Central who both acts and serves as the President for Central’s drama organization, Theatre Central.
Kwon has starred in multiple prominent roles within Theatre Central including Eponine in “Les Misérables” and Sandra in “The Play that Goes Wrong.”
Kwon began acting when she was seven after her mother signed her up for theater classes.
“I’ve liked singing and I was good at it, ” Kwon said. “I was, as my parents always said, a little dramatic, so they thought that [theater] would be a good idea.”
After taking lessons at The School of Performing Arts and participating in middle school musicals at Lincoln Junior High School, Kwon joined Theatre Central.
“I’ve grown the most with my acting in Theatre Central, and I think I’ve grown the most in the past two years once I started doing the main stage shows,” Kwon said.
Kwon participated in Central’s Black Box Show her freshman year, but found the most growth doing main stage shows, shows that are performed in the auditorium, usually garnering a bigger audience.
“I’ve felt better and more confident about my acting after [my performance in] “Les Misérables” and the other main stages I’ve done since then,” Kwon said.
Her role in “Les Misérables” as Éponine was her favorite.
“It was the biggest part I’d gotten at the time. I got to sing solo, so I was very, very excited for that,” Kwon said. “ I think that was the first time that I had felt seen in the terms of an audience.”
However, she admits it is difficult to balance a time-consuming activity with school.
“A hard part is just really combining all the elements, because yes, you’re singing, dancing and acting, but it’s about really becoming the character,” Kwon said.
Kwon has to face many challenges. As an actress, these experiences can range from the disappointment of not getting a desired part to struggling to get the right acting methods down. For example, Kwon originally wanted to play the lead role Elle Woods in “Legally Blonde,” but was cast for the role of Paulette instead.
Still, Kwon wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I have the most fun when I’m at rehearsals, on stage or even at home just singing a random song,” Kwon said. “It’s just my favorite thing in the whole world.”
And even when she doesn’t get a part she wants, Kwon perseveres.
“By the end of it, I was really glad I was Paulette because I got to learn how to do the accent, I got to be a little comedic relief moment and it felt really good at the end. Even though I wasn’t the main character, I still got a super loud applause,” Kwon said. “Some people [won’t] try, because [they] don’t want to be this part. But for me, if I’m going to be this part, I’m going to live this part; I’m going to show you that I’m going to be the best.”
According to Susie Johnson, a Central Communication Arts teacher and Theatre Central’s director, Kwon is both a leader as well as an actress.
“Jamie’s an excellent theater student and performer because [she’s] very committed and does a great job of reaching out to younger or new students and making them feel welcomed,” Johnson said. “I’ve known Jamie [for] a very long time, and she works hard at what she does and she doesn’t act like she’s better than people [just] because she’s very talented.”
Central Director of Orchestras Jesse Gross agrees.
“I’ve had the honor of working with [Kwon] for the last three years [and] she’s just a pleasure to work with,” Gross said. “She steals every show she’s in.”
Kwon hopes to pursue a career in theater in the future.
“I just think it’d be so fun to [spend] my time studying theater skills,” Kwon said. “The ideal would be to perform professionally on a Broadway stage. Whether that happens or not, I’d just like to try it.”
Kwon’s next role will be to play The Witch from “Into the Woods” for her senior show. “Into the Woods” was the initial inspiration for Kwon to start acting.
“I wanted to [act in] “Into the Woods” someday, so doing it as my senior show is like a dream come true of all time,” Kwon said.
Regardless of support or the difficulties of pursuing a career in the arts, Kwon’s will keep doing what she loves.
“I love singing, I love dancing, I love acting,” Kwon said. “I can’t picture myself doing anything else other than having theater in my life.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article referred to Theater Central’s director, Susie Johnson, as “Suzy.”
