COLLEGIATE THEATRICS: Belmont University's GRACE WILLIAMS

There's a very good chance that Belmont University musical theater student Grace Williams is going through some separation anxiety this week. Along with her castmastes and the creative team, she bade farewell to Gypsy - the stunning revival of the iconic Broadway musical mounted by Franklin-based Studio Tenn - on Sunday after a run that drew unanimous acclaim from the critics and inspired audience accolades throughout the run. As a member of the show's ensemble, Grace played a variety of roles in director Matt Logan's imaginative staging of the show.

But now the Mobile, Alabama, native will have more time to focus on her studies - she's a senior with an eye toward earning her degree from one of the nation's most revered musical theater programs next May - and will begin rehearsals for this semester's BUMT presentation of White Christmas, playing the role of Judy Haynes.

Already boasting a resume of performances that other actors would envy, she played Miss Sandra in BUMT's spring production of All Shook Up, Winnie in 42nd Street at Rocky Mountain Repertory Theater in Grand Lake, Colorado, Emma in Stardust Supper Club at Southern Appalachian Repertory Theater in Asheville, North Carolina, and Rona Lisa Peretti in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee for Belmont University Student Theater.

Here's your chance to get to know Grace better via our Collegiate Theatrics series...then you would be advised to score tickets for White Christmas so you can see just how talented she is! Read on...

So, how's your college theater career going? Has it lived up to its advance hype? I am so lucky that I found the perfect college for me. I wanted a liberal arts education combined with a fantastic Musical Theater Program and I found both at Belmont! It is everything I hoped for and more. I work with incredible faculty that have helped me grow into the performer that I am today and peers that give me endless encouragement. You don't find that in every MT program. Belmont has also given me other leadership opportunities, such as being a Belmont Ambassador as well as a member of Phi Mu Theta Sorority!

What's your favorite part of studying at your Belmont? My favorite part of studying at Belmont would have to be my classmates. I couldn't have asked for a more encouraging environment to be in for my four years of Musical Theater training. It's hard sometimes in this field because you're faced with so much rejection; but Belmont MT always reminds me why I do what I do with their constant love and support.

Have your future plans changed since your college experiences? My future plans have changed a little while at Belmont! Since I have a better grasp on what kind of performer I am, I now know where I will fit best out in the world of theater and what kind of musicals I shine in. Of course, working professionally is what I strive for, but I also have a love for teaching children. I assistant directed Guys and Dolls Junior in Colorado this summer and I absolutely LOVED seeing the kids' faces light up when they felt good about their performance. I would love to continue that passion of mine as well.

What collegiate theatrical moment looms largest in your mind? I have so many, but one of them would be getting to fulfill my little girl dreams as a ballerina in Oklahoma! at Belmont last fall. I had a small pointe solo in the dream ballet and I had so much fun with it. When I was younger, all I wanted to be was Clara in the Nutcracker. I actually used to sleep with Nutcrackers I was so obsessed! Another would be my first performance at Belmont when the fire alarm went off in the middle of Footloose. I will surely never forget that night.

What advice would you offer to high school students considering making the plunge? DO WHAT YOU LOVE! If theater is something you absolutely couldn't live without, go for it! And as the incredible Marjorie Halbert once told me, "If you think you can do something else, do that." Musical Theater is a hard field to go into, but if you can't see yourself being happy doing anything else, absolutely go for it! My job is to make people happy and maybe even change people's lives with the story I am telling onstage and I am so grateful that God gave me that gift. It's the most rewarding job!

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