COLLEGIATE THEATRICS: Belmont University's Neal Buckley

There's the feeling of fall in the air - and on college campuses all over the country, theatrically-charged students are back at work, learning new things and then putting that newfound knowledge to the test onstage. At Nashville's Belmont University, budding thespians are already hard at work bringing this semester's theater offerings to life.

Take Neal Buckley, for example: A senior musical theater major at Belmont, he's onstage through this weekend in Studio Tenn's Gypsy (at Jamison Hall at The Factory at Franklin), playing Yonkers (one of Dainty June's peripatetic Farmboys) and later this semester he stars as Phil Davis in Belmont University Musical Theatre's production of White Christmas. Already on the Madison, Mississippi native's burgeoning resume, you'll find such disparate roles as Montparnasse in Les Miserables, Benjamin in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Dean Hyde in All Shook Up.

Obviously, his name is one you'll be likely to hear in the future of American musical theater, so here's your opportunity to get to know Neal Buckley in this week's Collegiate Theatrics...

How's your college theater career going? Has it lived up to its advance hype? I have had a wonderful college theatre career so far. I am very grateful to have been challenged in roles that I would not normally play. Being put in those roles has only helped me grow as an artist. I think I was a surprise to most people. I went into college as a scrawny Mississippi boy, and I think people were not sure what to do with me. But after about a year in the program I had grown so much as a person and performer that I was starting to get roles and start honing my craft. The connections that I have gotten to make just by being at Belmont have been incredible. I have done things and worked with people that I thought I would not be able to until I was at least two years out of school. It definitely has lived up to the hype - mainly because of the hours that you have to put in on your own to become a better artist. Hard work goes a long way.

What's your favorite part of studying at Belmont? I love the personal connections that we get with our professors and teachers. Each member of the faculty cares so much about the growth and success of each student. They want us to be the best. They push us in voice, acting and dancing. Each member of our faculty has had a MAJOR impact on growth that I have had. Also, being extremely close to my class: Going through the college experience with the ten best people I know has been so special to me. We have such a connection where we support, love, and want the best for each other. Without their support and drive, it would be hard to push myself to be better. Having friends like that mean the world to a performer.

Have your future plans changed in light of your college theater experiences? I have heard that most people's future plans change when they get to college, but I would say my plans have not. I have always wanted to be a performer. I cannot imagine doing anything else.

What collegiate theatrical moment looms largest in your mind? That is a hard question. Different things have had such an impact on me. One thing was being placed in the ensemble in Oklahoma. Emily Tello Speck pushed me in dancing, and I always tell her that she has had the biggest impact on my dancing/ensemble work. When I work professionally outside of school now, it is usually in the ensemble and I owe her a lot for pushing me. Another thing would be playing Dean in All Shook Up. I got to work with an incredible partner, Katie Davis. We had so much fun and such a strong connection to each other that we just got to play every show.

What advice would you offer to high school students considering making the plunge? Work hard, but remember to take time for yourself. I learned after freshman year that hard work will take you leaps and bounds in this field. It is the only way to become stronger in musical theatre. But with that being said, it is important to remember you are a person first and need time for yourself. We can get caught up in trying to be the best that we wear ourselves out. Take time to breathe and remember that college is a growing experience.

To post a comment, you must register and login.