SUNBURY — The stage is a comfortable place for aspiring performer Alexandra Swartz.
The 17-year-old Shikellamy High School senior had considered a law career until she stumbled into acting at age 15, when she joined the forensics team.
Students in the program train in competitive debate, speech and acting, and it was here that Swartz has begun earning her acting chops.
“I thought I wanted to debate, but I found that I liked performing,” she said of the pleasure she gets from interpreting a variety of characters from a play or book.
She’s won state awards for her work in forensics, and last year, she qualified for a national competition in Alabama.
“Not many students have had such an opportunity,” Shikellamy teacher Amy Herbster said.
To further hone her skills, Swartz has performed in several school productions, including “The Curious Savage,” “Rabbit Hole” and “Princess and the Porcupine.”
“I’ve learned to balance everything,” she said of keeping up with play rehearsals, forensics training and homework.
She plans to study theater at college next fall, but doesn’t have her sights set on Broadway, movies or television.
“I don’t sing or dance. What I’d like is to work in a repertory theater,” she said, citing her dream of performing at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. “I like entertaining people and being able to see the reaction of the crowd.”
Swartz is drawn to comedy and admires actresses and comediennes like Tina Fey and the late Lucille Ball for their ability to entertain without losing their femininity.
“They’re funny ... and pretty,” she said.
Friends tell her she should try out for “Saturday Night Live,” the late-night comedy show that’s aired on NBC for 35 years. Maybe, some day, she will.
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