Spotlight on Kirin McCrory

We are very blessed to have Kirin McCrory join us this summer. We are so fond of Kirin that even though she will be out of town for a portion of the festival, we worked out a schedule to make sure that she was a part of this first summer festival. She is smart, talented, and generous. Kirin has been so generous that she even allowed us to rope her into being an "Endstation Blogger."

Kirin McCrory is currently a student at Emerson College. Her "Off-Broadway" credits include The Taming of the Shrew (Katerina), West Side Story (Anybodys), The Complete History of America (Abridged), and Cats, all performed at the EC Glass Civic Auditorium. "Broadway" credits include Twelfth Night or What You Will (Viola) and The Merchant of Venice (Antonia) Editor's note: "Broadway" means Emerson College. She'd like to thank her family for nurturing a home that instilled in her a desire to get out of the house and pretend to be other people. She'd also like to give a shout-out to her best friend, whose wealthy family will probably be paying for a majority of the apartment they one day inhabit together in NYC.

Kirin as Kate in Taming of the Shrew at EC Glass High School

I talked to Kirin a little about her first year at Emerson. It sounds like it was very rewarding. She said, "My first year at Emerson was amazing. As a high schooler, I always knew that college was going to be my place, and that I'd really thrive in an open college environment. Emerson was absolutely the right place for me. I chose it because it's a distinguished arts school and, mainly, because I got into their theatre program. I'm currently in the BA Theatre Studies program with a performance emphasis, meaning I had to audition to get in and meaning that acting is my primary focus. But what I'm really enjoying about the Theatre Studies program right now is the flexibility--I have all these credits that I can put to any theatrical aspect I want, and I also have the option to take academic classes, which I appreciate. The acting training I received this year was pretty basic, and to sum it up briefly, mostly Linklater voice work, movement (e.g. Laban work, etc.), and then an improv class both semesters where we explored a lot of methods and approaches (e.g. Keith Johnstone and Anne Bogart, etc.). "

Kirin also loves Boston. She said, "There's so much history and culture that I still haven't seen all I need to see around it. It's also got some great artistic venues, like the American Repertory Theatre, which is still doing some of the most outrageous and progressive experimental theatre work in the country."

Kirin as Kate in EC Glass's Taming of the Shrew

Kirin moved to Lynchburg when she was 7 from Greensboro, NC. After her parents informed her of her move, she in turn informed them that she was going to wear black for the rest of her life, because it was the color of her soul. Kirin said, "Yes, that's the kind of 7-year-old I was."

Kirin has lived in Lynchburg for ten years. She likes the town, but the city is calling her name. "I'm an urban kind of girl. I like being able to walk a lot, and I really like public transportation. I enjoy hustle and bustle. City sounds do not bother me when trying to sleep." Kirin has heard it said that Lynchburg is a great place to raise a family. She feels that this may be the case, but she wants her family to experience more of the world before they are steeped in the traditions, customs and the mind set of one location, such as Lynchburg.

Kirin in Twelfth Night at Emerson College

Kirin moved to Lynchburg because her mom took a job at the college "formerly known as" Randolph Macon Woman's College (Now co-ed and simply Randolph College). She worked there for a few years and ended up at Sweet Briar where our festival is taking place. "I think the SBC campus is gorgeous, and I've worked there before with Kids in College, spent summer days in the Library or walking around, and gone to various functions around the campus, so I'm pretty familiar with it. But I'm not a part of that tight-knit group of kids whose parents all work at SBC and who all grew up together."

Well, we would like to think of Kirin as part of our tight knit group. She is a joy to know and to work with. I had the opportunity to work with her during Kids in College and my father has worked with her on shows in the past. She is smart, talented, and a product of this region (whether she likes it or not ;) ). I hope we have Kirin back for many more summers to come.

Geoffrey Kershner
Endstation Blogger and Artistic Director