Meet the 2017-18 Apprentices: Daisy Howard
Position: Costume Apprentice
Hometown: Lynchburg, VA
Education:
“I started as a dancer for many years. Then, when I was 16 my appendix ruptured, so I had to sit out from dance while I was healing. The prior year I had auditioned for a play, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, and I was a lead and that was really exciting (her 1st play). So I decided to go back to theatre and I did basically everything that I could to get involved: acting, props, set construction, etc. [I] assistant directed and choreographed some shows. I fell into such a rhythm with the theatre scene that I didn’t really crave the dance scene anymore.
“After graduating high school I went to Randolph College, formerly known as, Randolph Macon Women’s College, in Lynchburg VA. I was planning on transferring, but I fell in love with the community, and the people, and the traditions. I started getting into costumes and lighting because that I was what I hadn’t learned in high school, but after a while I developed a heavy focus on costumes. I graduated in May, right before I came here, with a BFA in Theatre and a double emphasis on Costumes and Performance.“
Why the Olney Theatre Center Apprentice Training Program?
“My senior year of college, I went back to SETC. Leading up to it, I was practicing writing cover letters, and I was looking at lots of jobs and I found OTC’s program. I wrote a letter to OTC that was at first a class assignment, but decided to submit it after completing it's final draft. While at SETC, I saw the Olney Theatre Center table, but never got to meet JKJ. We eventually set up to meet over skype and about two hours later, he offered me the job. It was only for the summer at first, and then about three weeks later, he asked me if I would like to extend for the year.”
What are you most looking forward to working on?
“I guess I’m most looking forward to working on THE CRUCIBLE, and that’s crazy because when I first started that was at the end of my apprenticeship, but now it’s coming up. I get to revisit actors that I’ve already worked with--Chris Genebach, Dani Stoller, Paul Morella--and that will be a really good way to round out my experience.”
What’s something that’s surprised you about this experience?
“What surprised me when I first got here was just how much this community felt like a family. It was a really good next step for me coming out of college, especially coming from such a small liberal arts college that also had a family/close-knit community vibe. It was an easier transition to come to a place that worked like this. Everyone knows each other here. They help you when you need it, and they are genuinely interested in how they can best further your career and get you to the next step.”
What makes the OTC community so special?
“The history here is so important. So many people have walked through this campus, and so many more are going to. We’ve had so many big deal people come through here that I’ve gotten to work with, and I don’t feel set apart from. The way OTC has the housing set up and the kitchen, you get to hear all of their stories and share in their experience, and that’s really neat.”
Favorite place on campus?
“The big circle patio outside of the main and all of the trees that are bordering it. In the summer, and at night sometimes too, I would lay on the pavement and read, or stare at the stars, it’s a really pretty view, and during GATSBY (one of our touring National Players shows), I realized that two of the light posts coming out of the trees look like an eye and I thought that was really neat.”
What advice do you have for the next Costumes Apprentice?
“Learn as much as you can. Try to think about one thing that you’ve learned everyday, whether it’s an actual skill or the way you communicate with others. So much of this experience flies by that it’s important to have that self-reflection.”
Anything else?
“Don’t forget to have fun. You’re doing a great job!”