To Act , or Not to Act ?
The Fordham Prep Dramatic Society , which started as the St . John ’ s Dramatic Society in 1855 , performs a play and a musical each academic year . Upwards of about 80 Rams participate in the cast and crew of the productions , making it one of the most popular co-curricular activities at the school . This also includes girls from schools around the tri-state area who participate both on the stage and behind the scenes .
FPDS productions provide a chance for students to work together in new ways . They team-build while creating sets , rehearse lines with one another , and learn to share the spotlight with their peers .
The Prep is in debt to Fr . Leonard , who , according to archivist Louis DiGiorno ’ 88 P ’ 26 , reportedly , “ traveled all the way to Rome to ask Father General ’ s permission to allow girls in the performances . Before 1964 , of course , all female parts were played by Prep boys in wigs .”
The girls ( Cronin P ’ 95 ’ 98 , her classmate Barbara Liston , and Deirdre Abbot from St . Catherine ’ s ) made their debut in the November 1964 production of A Man for All Seasons . Since then , several leading ladies of FPDS productions have gone on to receive award nominations alongside our Rams .
Before there was Leonard Theatre , plays were performed at Collins Auditorium on the university campus . The construction of Leonard Theatre was completed in 1994 .
“ I used to sneak out of swim practice to watch the rehearsals ,” remembers actor James Andrew O ’ Connor ’ 94 , a Bronx native . A Prep faculty member saw him and said , “‘ If you ’ re going to be in my theater distracting my actors , you need to be on stage ,’” O ’ Connor recalls .
That is the short story of how O ’ Connor ended up playing “ Tough Man ” in the musical Fiorello ! in his senior year at the Prep , which was the first time a performance was ever held in the new Leonard Theatre venue . “ I was typecast even then ,” O ’ Connor laughed , noting his large frame makes him a top choice for roles that involve sizable men .
O ’ Connor was then offered to perform in a play at Mount St . Ursula . “ It was wild ,” he said . “ They offered me the lead role and I was so terrified . I wanted to play a comic or something !” he exclaimed . By then , he was hooked on acting .
While he didn ’ t intend to study theater , O ’ Connor served as the Chairman of the Alternate College Theatre program at Holy Cross . He realized by his sophomore year of college that he wanted to pursue an acting career and went into the National Shakespeare Conservatory upon graduation .
“ My parents encouraged me , which was rare ,” he noted . He ’ s since worked in productions on Broadway , starred in television shows such as Hightown and Gotham ( Sgt . Calhoun ; Tommy Bones ), and currently runs his own acting studio .
O ’ Connor stresses the importance of diversifying your portfolio , especially in an industry where , as he notes , 20 % of the actors in the union make under $ 20,000 a year .
“ It ’ s very reasonable for parents to be weary about a career in the arts . How do you encourage somebody that there ’ s another formula ? I don ’ t believe in plan A and plan B or having a backup plan ,” he explained . “ It ’ s having a more comprehensive plan A . Something that gives you another skill set to monetize that is related to what you ’ re passionate about doing in the arts ,” he continued .
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FPDS cast members of Something Rotten performing in Leonard Theatre in December 2023 .
WINTER 2024 VOLUME 44 , ISSUE 1
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