BRYCE GIAMMO
Bryce is pursuing his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance with a minor in Dance.
What led you to choosing your field of study?
“In my freshman year of high school, I had no idea what I was going to do with my life and at the time was completely oblivious to theater. When I joined the musical that my high school was putting on during my sophomore year, I feel like a whole new variety of options were open to me and my whole thought process changed. The moment that final curtain closed I knew that this is what I wanted to pursue and do for the rest of my life.”
Why did you come to UW-Whitewater?
“One of the main reasons is because everything is so close and convenient. A walk from one side of campus to the other is roughly 5-10 minutes.”
Are you part of any student organizations? If so, which ones and why?
“I’m only really a part of one club on campus and that’s badminton club. My freshman year I got a knock on my door, and someone invited me to be a part of a new club that was being made for badminton. My immediate thought was, ‘I haven’t played badminton since high school.’ I wasn’t currently doing anything for an extracurricular activity, so I signed up. My first day there I didn’t know anybody but as time went on, I slowly made more friends and now I’m one of the head officers and I’m friends with everyone there.”
Are there artists or mentors you draw inspiration from? If so, who and why?
“There are many, but one specifically is YouTuber Ssundee. Everyday, he posts a video of pretty much the same few games but always finds a way to make it entertaining to his audience. He’s inspired me to try and be more creative with the things that I enjoy doing.”
What’s your favorite part about being in the Department of Theatre/Dance at UW-Whitewater?
“My favorite part about the Department of Theatre/Dance is the professors. Every professor wants every student to succeed academically and in their personal goals.”
What’s your favorite part about being a Warhawk?
“That there are so many different places on campus to hang out. One of my personal favorite places is in the Center of the Arts. There’s a little room where all the theatre majors come to chill in between classes called the green room and everyday something new always happens in there. Once I was just in there by myself and some guy came in with a bright purple couch saying it was for me. My immediate thought was, ‘what do I need a couch for?’ After a few seconds of pondering I realized it was for the room itself."
Do you have any special talents on your acting resume?
"Yes! I can do a standing front flip. This came in really handy during the production of 'She Kills Monsters' by Qui Nguyen in Fall '21. The show was very combat heavy and I was able to tell the fight choreographer that I had this skill we could use during the show. You definitely want to make sure any unique talents you posess are on your resume - you never know what's going to come in handy in an audition room."
What do you hope to do after graduation?
“The big hope for I think most theater majors is to become the next big Broadway star, and I have those same aspirations. I have a backup plan to teach acting and perhaps choreograph and direct a few shows here and there until I make it.”
Favorite class to date and why?
“Movement for the actor THEATER 230. When I first walked into that class I thought that I was going to have to write papers on how to move. I slowly began to realize that it was pretty much a dance class – in every class we played improvisation games and danced. As a dance minor with aspirations of becoming a choreographer, that was a dream class. We had to keep a journal of our class exercises and reflect on how they improved my special awareness and movement.”
What is your proudest accomplishment to date?
“When I successfully performed ‘A Place with the Pigs’ by Athol Fugard. It was the toughest show I’d ever done because I had lines on every single page. My immediate thought when I was cast as the lead role was, ‘How am I going to do this?’ I worked day and night memorizing and memorizing until I eventually got it right one night before tech week. I talked, acted, danced, and even sung for around an hour and a half for 5 whole days. That experience will be hard to beat.”
What advice would you give your former self?
“Do acting sooner. It would have really paid off if I had more experience before heading into a theatre major.”
What advice would you give your future self?
“You’ll make it someday - don’t let others try to change your path.”
What advice would you give to a potential UW-Whitewater student?
“Find one really good group of friends to spend your years with. Coming into my freshman year I thought that I would never find good friends. Eventually that changed when I joined badminton and found a group of people that I know will always have my back and be there for me when I need them.”
Learn more about the Theatre and Dance programs