Spotlight on Ryan Abercrombie

Ryan Abercrombie is playing the roles of Sampson and Friar John in "Romeo and Juliet."

I first met Ryan my sophomore year of high school. He had just transferred to public school after being home-schooled. He quickly became involved in the theatre department at EC Glass, and remained involved until our graduation. 

However, Ryan didn't get started in theatre until he was twelve, though he loved musicals as a kid. He did his first theatrical productions with the Cherry Tree Players, a local theatre that many here remember; but when Cherry Tree got closed down, Ryan would have to travel to do community theatre. The Fine Arts Center was his next venue, which closed shortly after Ryan arrived. So Ryan asked his parents to send him to EC Glass--a public school that was out of his district--for academics, yes, but primarily for theatre.

Ryan in an AFA production of "Fiddler on the Roof"

While college searching, Ryan applied to various schools, one of them--a last minute application--being Bucknell. His father had recommended he apply to the Pennsylvania school because of the financial aid they're known to offer. Two weeks later, Ryan got an email about merit scholar auditions, "sort of rushed up there, auditioned, and got the scholarship." He ended up choosing to attend Bucknell, and is very happy with his decision.

Ryan portraying Hal in "Proof"

Ryan's been very involved in theatre at Bucknell. He describes himself as "that guy who never gets out of the theatre." Two weeks into his first semester, Ryan was asked to audition for the directing students' showcase by the head of the theatre department--and ended up getting cast. At the end of the year, Ryan had moved more towards the tech side: he'd been an ASM twice and a SM for three mainstage shows. He's also involved in other various theatre-related activities, such as the play selection committee and a member of a student board chosen to help hire one of the new faculty members. "It's a great department," Ryan says of Bucknell, "that's very supportive of anything you want to try."

Ryan as Biondello in "The Taming of the Shrew" -- with me!

Where theatre will take him in the long run, Ryan is unsure. He's currently a double-major at Bucknell, majoring in Theatre and Economics, with a minor in Russian. As of right now, he's leaning towards a career with the FBI--something that would put all of his concentrations to use. I would tell you more about his career plans, but then I'd have to kill you.

Kirin McCrory

Endstation Blogger