BWW Interviews: Round House Theatre Teen Performance Company Member Pamela Lawrence on This Year's Sarah Play CHATROOM, and What Makes the Program Unique

Tell us a little bit about yourself. How and when did you become in Round House Theatre's Teen Performance Company and what attracted you to the program?

Hi, my name is Pamela Lawrence and I am seventeen years old and a senior at Stone Ridge School. I became involved in Round House Theater's Teen Performance Company last year when I played Jill in the Sarah Play's production of SNOW ANGEL. I had previously only acted in my school's plays so when I heard about auditions I was immediately attracted to the opportunity and what it could do to expand both my acting abilities and my comfort zone.

What makes Round House Theatre's Teen Performance Company unique and what are some of the opportunities the program has provided to you? What is your most memorable experience so far?

This program is unique because it offers a professional experience to teens with the help of mentors. It helps the kids involved learn about every aspect of theatre from acting to design to crew work. In my opinion the most unique and perhaps vital part of the Sarah Play is the mentorship program. The mentors are experienced actors, designers, and crew workers who are active in the Washington DC theatre scene. They are an amazing resource for the teens in the program. The mentorship program has impacted me as an individual in a very powerful way, for I have known my mentors for two years now and they know me and my acting style very well, making it easy to discuss and explore character, vocal, and physical work.

My most memorable experience is from closing night of the play last year when the entire cast just sat on the floor of the theater and we looked back on our memories and inside jokes and laughed with each other for the last time.

CHATROOM is all about teenagers and teenage issues. It has to do with chatrooms and cyberbullying, but there are so many other larger issues that rise to the surface throughout the play. It deals with problems ranging from your average teen angsty rants to discussions over mental health and suicide. It's full of dark humor and opportunities to bring some real problems and obstacles that modern teens struggle with every day to light and into an open conversation between friends and families.

I play Eva, one (of the two) antagonists. She's a fascinating character and I am so grateful for the opportunity to bring her story to life. At the core of Eva's character is her need to make a difference in the world, to make her mark, "to have a cause." She is desperately searching for purpose and she wants take action. She stumbles upon one in the wrong setting and gets mixed up in something really dark. Although in the end, Eva takes part in some pretty terrible stuff and says some pretty terrible things, she's actually a really cool character and kind of admirable in the way that she presents herself. My favorite part about her isn't the way she acts, but who she is outside of those bad choices. She's smart, confident, and a bit unhinged and I find those all to be dynamic qualities.

No, just Round House.

I hope to double major in English and Psychology in college and then go on to either work in publishing, abnormal psychology, or education.

Photo: Production photo features cast of CHATROOM, including Pamela Lawrence (in orange sweater). By Danisha Crosby.