Age & Birthday: 20 (April 3rd)
Year: Junior
Gender & Sexual Identity: Cis male (he/him), bisexual.
Major: Performance track - Musical theatre.
Faceclaim: Nick Robinson
(+confident, optimistic, decisive & - impatient, stubborn, impractical)
Biography:
- The eldest of the Ellis children, Cameron has always carried himself with confidence. His childhood was a happy one, born to bright, caring parents, whose lives were touched by the arts. Music was a part of Cameron’s life even before his birth, with his father carefully curating playlists to play to his mother’s belly. Cameron’s education continued once he came into the world, led by the hand by his father, a talent musician whose passion was teaching. His mother, an English Literature professor at Syracuse, was his introduction to plays and theatre, and Cameron began to dream of performing for a living. There was no rush like pleasing an adoring audience, living for his parents’ praise and applause at the end of a recital. So close and yet so far from New York City, Cameron knew that he’d have to wait to make it his job, unable to convince his parents to take him for auditions as a child. Instead, he focused on rehearsal, preparing himself to be the very best he could be. It helped that his father ran the drama department at school, easily winning leads and bringing the house down with every performance.
- Only eighteen months older than his brother, Ollie, Cameron takes very few things more seriously than he does being a big brother. The two Ellis boys were best friends from the moment of Oliver’s birth, and Cameron is endlessly proud of the man his brother has become. They’ve always shared everything, and most importantly, they’ve shared their love of performing – united by their greatest passion in life. As soon as they were old enough to be trusted on their own, the boys would head off into New York City for the weekend, catching three shows and bunking together in a cheap hotel. For Cameron, things were easy in high school – he never quite noticed the way that Oliver would lose out on roles to him, or the waiting his brother had to do for him to graduate and move on. As far as Cameron is concerned, he and Ollie are two halves of the same soul – and he couldn’t pick a better brother to share things with.
- So wrapped up in theatre and amateur dramatics, high school was a joyful time for Cameron. Sociable and amiable, Cameron never struggled to make friends, always determined to include everybody and be a role model for others. While he always claimed to be easy-going, Cameron’s sensitive nature did cause him to take some losses hard: he cried for a week after his first break-up with a girl, suddenly understanding what all of Adele’s songs were all about. However, his dramatics didn’t last too long – it wasn’t long before he moved on to his next relationship, preferring to be in a couple than on his own – craving the sense of partnership and support a relationship provided. It was only when he reached college, however, that Cameron realised that that partnership could be with a man or a woman, exploring all sides of himself for the first time. Cameron believes (or wants to believe) in the idea of the one, and has a feeling that now is the very best time to meet them.
- When it came to college, there was only one choice for Cameron: NYADA. The pinnacle of theatre education, the dream school for every aspiring Broadway actor, its hallowed halls had been walked by theatre legends and Tony award winners, and Cameron knew he had to be next. With such a small and exclusive intake, Cameron put all of his effort into his application, citing his experience and his lifelong passion in his entry essay. His audition could only be Sondheim, technical and complicated, and though it went flawlessly, Camron couldn’t shake the nervousness he felt for weeks as he waited for a judgement. Finally holding in his hands his acceptance letter, Cameron felt a feeling he’d never felt before – the purest form of pride. He’d worked so hard for so long, and now his dreams were coming true. Leaving his parents and siblings, even only a few hours away, would be difficult, but Cameron’s future was in New York, and he couldn’t wait. This was what he deserved.
- NYADA turned out to be everything Cameron expected and more. Filled with like-minded individuals, who were as cutthroat as they were charming, Cameron was entirely in his element. His hard work had paid off, and now was his time to shine. It was almost too easy to win invitations to the showcase, to land leads in the junior play – Cameron was a talent, and he knew it. His attitude, at times, was lacking, prone to taking rejections or criticism personally – but Cameron knew that he had to grow a thicker skin to succeed, and worked hard to develop it. Now in his junior year, Cameron is starting to look ahead to graduation, beginning to audition for shows in the hopes of raising his profile and getting his name known. So far, he’s made it to a few call-backs, and even the last round of some casting processes – he just hopes that this success will one day result in a real achievement in the real world of theatre.
