BWW Interviews: College Students in the Professional Acting World - Eileen Cella & Maya Tepler

This spring Philly will see two current University of Pennsylvania students, Eileen Cella and Maya Tepler, in professional productions. I sat down with them to talk about their experiences being college students in the professional world. Eileen Cella, a Drexel Hill native and a sophomore at Penn, is a Cognitive Science major with a concentration in Neuroscience and a Theatre Arts Minor. Professionally, Eileen has performed in The Fantasticks (Lousia) 1812 productions' First Day of School (Belinda), and a staged reading of The Little Prince (Prince) at Bristol Riverside. This spring she will play Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel at Plays and Players. At Penn she's been seen in Crazy for You (Irene), A New Brain (Rhoda), and Forum (Pseudolus). Maya Tepler is a junior at Penn majoring in Theatre Arts. She hails from Topsham, Maine. At Penn she has performed in Ragtime (Ensemble), Songs for a New World (Woman 1), Spring Awakening (Ilse), Proof (Claire), This is Our Youth (Jessica), Mikado (Pitti-Sing), The Country (Rebecca), and Sweeney Todd (Pirelli). Next week she will perform in her first professional production as Anita in Girls Night: The Musical at the Kimmel's Innovation Studio.

Elieen's first role in a professional production came as a senior in high school, playing Louisa in The Fantasticks at the Kimmel Center. She had known director Tony Braithwaite since her sophomore year of high school, as he directed shows at all boys school St. Joe's and often brought in girls from her school, Agnes Irwin, to play the female parts. He mentioned he was directing The Fantasticks and asked Eileen to come audition. Says Eileen, doing that show, "was when I realized I wanted to do this for the rest of my life." The show was performed in the basement of a theater, actually where Maya will perform later this month. The transition was easy for Eileen as she was able to assimilate into the professional world while feeling very comfortable.

Maya also has found the experience to be a smooth transition. In Girls Night she may be the youngest cast member, but the entire cast is young. But it has been busy balancing class work, rehearsals for Girls Night, and rehearsals for three productions at Penn she had committed to before being cast in Girls Night (The Vagina Monologues, The Country, and Sweeney Todd). Maya admitted, "I've slept about seventeen hours in the past week and a half. But it's definitely worth the insanity. I had two papers due the first week of Girls Night rehearsal, so when I wasn't singing I was covertly trying to type. But overall, it's felt natural to do it, not as high stress as I expected it to be." Eileen agreed with Maya's sentiments, "If I didn't love it, it would be daunting. But it gives me so much energy and I'm passionate about it!" Eileen also says both her professors and directors have been very understanding and flexible working around her schedules.

Both Eileen and Maya are also in one of Penn's a cappella groups, Counterparts. Maya notes, "Strangely, when I'm on stage as a character I'm okay, but as an a cappella group member I'm more uncomfortable." Even so, Maya sees Counterparts as another really fun, performing outlet and she's learned a lot about music theory by doing some arranging for the group. Says Eileen, "When you pick theater as your career it puts some pressure on it. Even though I love it, with a cappella I get to just sing and have fun. Unlike theater, everyone is always called at the same times. There's also a real sense of community being in the group for four years."

Any idols in the theater - either role models or people you'd like to emulate? Maya is quick to answer. "My ultimate theater role is to be Eve Ensler. Actually I'd love to be a musical Eve Ensler." Maya loves that she had an acting career and then moved to the intellectual side, writing and directing. "I love that she's created events beyond theater that create social change and that's something I'd like to do as well."

Eileen has two answers. The first is "Tony Braithwaite. I know I've mentioned him about 800 times in this interview, but in terms of my sense of humor, my abilities as an actress, and my attitude towards all things theatre and non, he's been one of the most influential people in my life. In my high school program he'd give the most incredible speeches before shows and he'd often incorporate the Jesuit motto 'age quod agis', which can be translated many ways including 'What ever you do, do well.' That's always stuck with me. I think it applies to theatre but also to relationships, friendships, school, work, health, everything." But what actress serves as Eileen's idol? "I'm going with the obvious, short-girl pride answer, Kristin Chenoweth. Her technique is flawless, she's beautiful, and most importantly, she's funny. If there's one thing I want to be remembered for as an actress it's being funny. I know I've got a long way to go but if I'm half as great as Kristin is I'll be a happy woman."

Ultimately, both girls see theater as their career. Eileen comments, "I tried to talk myself out of it earlier this year - they say if you can find anything you like more do it because it's a hard road and a poor road. But [when I took a break this spring] I didn't realize how much I'd miss it." Maya realized this through an alternate route. In the fall she attended the British Academy of Dramatic Arts (BADA) which is a semester long conservatory program. The participants were American students from liberal arts schools, but unlike Penn where many just do theater for fun, Maya enjoyed being around people who wanted to pursue acting. "I'm going to give acting a try, but if it doesn't work, I'll definitely do something arts related. I want this to be my real career, but I know that you won't get most things you want, you're lucky if you get anything you want. I know I could do other things and have an easier life, but acting is what I love to do." However, truly this career choice occurred much earlier, "I always wanted to be an actor, from the time I was a little kid. I didn't have that astronaut phase, I had an actor phase and it's my life."

Post-Carousel, Eileen will head to BADA's summer conservatory in Oxford. Maya will spend the summer performing at the Theater at Monmouth in Maine.

The girls' official bios are below. For more information on Girls Night the Musical please visit http://www.kimmelcenter.org/events/?id=3550 and for more information on Carousel please visit http://www.playsandplayers.org/performance/carousel

Eileen Cella is currently a sophomore Cognitive Neuroscience major at the University of Pennsylvania where she participates in theatre and Counterparts a cappella. Her next role will be as Carrie in Carousel at Plays and Players Theatre. Other regional credits and favorite roles include "Belinda" in the world premier of Billy Aronson's First Day of School (1812 productions, Plays and Players theatre) Luisa" in The Fantasticks (Kimmel Center), "Edwin Drood" in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, "Rosemary" in How to Succeed (St. Joe's Prep), and "Pseudolus"in A Funny Thing Happened...

 

 

 

Maya Tepler: She is currently a student at the University of Pennsylvania where she is a proud member of Counterparts A Cappella and Front Row Theatre Company.  Favorite roles include Woman 1 in "Songs for a New World", Ilse in "Spring Awakening", Belle in "Beauty and the Beast", and Rebecca in the Philadelphia premiere of Martin Crimp's "The Country". Maya trained at the British American Drama Academy in Fall, 2009. And this summer will be working as an apprentice with Theatre At Monmouth. Maya would like to thank her brilliant teachers, remarkable friends, and incredible family for their constant love and support.

 

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