Hundreds of students qualify for the International Thespian Society but only ten students reach the top in Michigan. Every year, ten students apply to be considered the best of the best in the theatre world. Senior Jaelyn Kaczmarczyk has been working towards this award for years and, after all her hard work, has made the theatre community of Utica High School very proud.
Kaczmarczyk has been in theatre since she was small, being in shows like Suessical and Puffs. She has paved her own path in the theatre community, showing her versatility and flexibility. Although she has been in theatre for so long, the focus in the award was on her technical abilities in the past four years.
“As a high schooler, my first show I worked on was The Tragic and Random Death of Molly Denholtz and I was a stage manager,” Kaczmarczyk said.
Being a stage manager as a freshman is already a huge achievement and would convince many of her spot in the top ten. Even with many agreeing that she deserved the spot, she still needed to convince some of the most ruthless judges in Michigan of that same worth.
“I completed an application with a series of questions before festival and then at festival I auditioned by presenting my technical theatre portfolio,” Kaczmarczyk said. “This is then followed by an in-person interview with the judges.”
After creating said presentation, practicing as often as she breathed, and waiting until the weekend of the Michigan Thespian festival, the day came. Thespian Troupe 4260 sat down in a large auditorium to watch the closing ceremony. Slowly, names were called and students reached for their glowing rewards. Teacher Joel Kaczmarczyk shouted out his daughter’s name on that ginormous stage and the memorable moment was made.
“It was really exciting and an honor since I look up to him so much,” said Jaelyn Kaczmarczyk. “He has been a great teacher and inspiration for me and has always supported me in everything I do.”
Her father smiled brightly at her while he spoke with the voice he lost from a long weekend. Utica’s troupe cheered with joy and music played through the speakers. The weekend ended with that, but as the students drove home, pride filled their bones. Along with the award, she has accumulated $464,000 in offers from 11 different colleges. What has she learned through this crazy high school experience?
“I’ve worked in all areas of theatre, not just musical theatre,” Kaczmarczyk said. “Through that, I’ve learned valuable lessons such as patience and the importance of clear communication.”
While the managing side of things seems to be her niche, the girl definitely knows how to do many things at once. She played Gary in SpongeBob the musical while designing more than 250 slides to create a more immersive experience. She designed practically the entire set for Blood and Sequins. In Chicago, last year, she even led the way in costume design. While she was designing props, creating designs, and managing, one of her most rememberable roles was Flounder in The Little Mermaid.
“It wasn’t my first time acting in years, but I suppose it could be nerve racking at times to be on stage in front of so many people,” Kaczmarczyk said. “I focus more on technical theatre than acting but I really enjoyed and loved that role, and it will always have a special place in my heart.”
For now, she is directing her final high school production of Descendants the Musical. She is sharing her last show with her father as it is his last too. Anything is possible and in the most cliche way of saying it, the sky is the limit. In the future, Kaczmarczyk plans to pursue stage management in technical theatre. When interviewed, she left it all on one last note, resolving it all.
“It was amazing receiving this award since normally actors are the ones who get the recognition since they’re the ones on stage under the spotlight,” Kaczmarczyk said. “As a tech, it was really meaningful to me since so much of the hard work we do behind the scenes can sometimes go unnoticed, so receiving that recognition felt very rewarding.”
Utica is filled with brilliant minds, and it is important that not a single one goes unnoticed. Awards and scholarships like this give students the push they need to find what is next in life. Nobody truly knows what could be next for Jaelyn Kaczmarczyk, but it’s sure that many will have their eyes on her.
