When Evan Souza turned 10 years old, his parents gifted him a month of acting classes for his birthday. After pursuing a number of sports, Souza was excited to try something new. Twelve years later, Souza has spent over half his life storytelling through theatre.
“I tell stories to people and perform for people so that they can learn something about themselves or the world,” Souza said. “Taking on a character is exciting and fun for me, but it’s also work and a job that’s for a purpose.”
At Wake Forest, Souza has been involved in 18 productions, including mainstage productions directed by faculty and student-led shows through the Anthony Aston Players (AAP). While many shows Souza has participated in have impacted him, portraying Tommy Boatwright in “Normal Heart” — a play chronicling the first three years of the AIDS epidemic — was a defining moment in his college career.
“I just felt this kind of overwhelming weight to do right by this person and do it by the story,” Souza said. “The cast got very, very close because it was just, it was heavy.”
Souza cited this production as an example of the “radical collaboration” he experienced in Wake Forest’s theatre department. He explained that, with up to 24 hours of rehearsal a week and the communication required to produce a production, theatre students quickly learn to trust each other.
Despite the hours he spends in Scales Fine Arts Center in rehearsal or class, Souza’s passion for Wake Forest’s arts community leads him to spend much of his free time in the Scales lobby. He noted that other students joke that he holds “office hours” at his favorite table.
“The thing I love to do is just connect with people,” Souza said. “I think that’s what our department is for. We’re telling stories, and we’re connecting with an audience. We’re also counting on each other.”
Alongside acting in Wake Forest productions, Souza also participates in lighting design. Out of the nine mainstage productions he has been a part of, Souza has worked as a lighting designer on two of them. He said that the physics involved in lighting design is an example of how he incorporates another passion into theatre — science. As a double major in theatre and biology, Souza believes that science and theatre have more in common than some may believe.
“Science is very much about working and discovering new things and about the natural world,” Souza said. “But theatre is so much about discovery, too, because every line is a discovery.”
Although he has enjoyed studying both biology and theatre, he’ll pursue the latter after leaving Wake Forest. Following graduation, Souza will work as an acting apprentice at the Florida Studio Theatre.
Alongside taking classes during his nine-month contract, Souza will understudy their main stage productions, perform in children’s programming and teach playwriting to elementary school kids. Souza described this opportunity as a “transition out of college into the professional theatre world.”
“I am really excited to work with them, learn a lot and start working. I get to use my degree and be a professional actor.” Souza said. “That’s crazy to say… I am going to be a professional actor.”
Souza explained that his community and Wake Forest’s campus are aspects of college that he will miss, but he also said that he is ready for graduation. To him, theatre is about embodying Wake Forest’s pro humanitate motto and connecting audiences with stories that reveal truths about society. He feels that the theatre department’s personable and empathetic approach to teaching has prepared him to pursue a career that is “for humanity.”
“I’m excited to see how [my graduating class] affects humanity,” Souza said. “Whether it’s telling stories, writing cutting-edge journalism, discovering new things in labs or working in politics, I think that we as a class are really excited to get out there and start.”
