High School Drama: Hume-Fogg's LINDSEY GEORGE

As the leaves begin to change color and the temperatures start to drop and we see tangible examples of autumn all about us, it signals the frantic period of 2016 when local high schools are busily prepping their fall productions. Nashville's Hume-Fogg Academic High School is one such place, where students - under the direction of 2014 First Night Honoree Daron Bruce and his artistic collaborator Lisa Forbis - are deep into rehearsals for the first of this academic year's presentations: Big Fish, starring Lindsey George, Jonathan Hankins and Nashville theater legacy Michael Dunaway (the son of local theater stalwarts Lisa Truley Dunaway and Jason Dunaway and the nephew of accomplished actor Todd Truly).

Opening for an abbreviated one-weekend run at the historic Hume-Fogg Academic High School, situated prominently and appropriately on Music City's own stretch of downtown real estate called "Broadway," Big Fish is just the latest musical from Bruce and Forbiss and will give local audiences the opportunity to witness even more young actors reaching for stardom on the HFA stage. Hume-Fogg's roster of alumni features a long list of students who have gone on to theatrical achievements beyond the halls of the acclaimed school - which is annually listed among the nation's top secondary schools - and today, we offer readers a chance to get to know Lindsey George better in this week's edition of High School Drama.

Starring in Big Fish is just the latest addition to George's already burgeoning resume: As Nina in last year's production of In the Heights, I called her "mesmerizing" in the role of Nina, and she's played such challenging and intriguing roles as Johanna in Sweeney Todd and Tuptim in The King and I - roles that have beautifully shown off her versatility and unyielding focus.

What is your theatrical goal in life? To be able to emulate onstage the emotion that is as real as the ones I experience in day-to-day life.

If you could play any role in any show - what would you choose? I would have to go with Diana from Next to Normal. While that role for me is probably a long time off, I really don't think I have the emotional or physical maturity right now to play that complex of a character - her experiences address something that we still don't like to talk about, despite being a universal issue: mental illness. Art - particularly theater - is one of the best ways to explore the complexities of life, both good and bad, and Next to Normal manages to do that with one of the most sensitive of topics. It's just something I'd like to be a part of eventually.

What's been your best theatrical experience to date? I remember vividly the closing night of the first musical I had ever been a part of - Cabaret - in my freshman year of high school. That cast was full of some of the most talented people I had ever been around; it was not only their talent, but their dedication to the art form that essentially set the standard for me for what theatre at Hume-Fogg should be for the upcoming years. As the seniors accepted their roses for their final show, stage makeup running down their faces, I felt for the first time that emotional catharsis that happens when you pour your heart out on stage. Right then was when I knew what I wanted to do (at least) for the next four years.

Who are your favorite actors? My favorite actress right now has got to be Laverne Cox. I'm patiently waiting to see her perform in the Rocky Horror reboot - which is another one of my favorite musicals. Another one - that might possibly be an unpopular opinion - is Hugh Jackman. There's something incredibly entertaining about seeing the man who played hyper-masculine Wolverine then go and play Jean Valjean.

What show that you've never seen would you most like to see live, onstage? Les Miserables. I feel like I haven't earned a spot onstage until I've actually seen a live production, not just the movie, and paid homage to one of the classics.