student spotlight

Something Awarded This Way Comes

Former Pickerington student wins award for Macbeth portrayal

Awards season is around the corner and Pickerington’s own Ian Larson is not blending into the crowd.

The student actor at Miami University and 2020 graduate of Pickerington High School Central was recently awarded best actor from the Broadway Awards for his portrayal of Macbeth his senior year.

PHSC puts on big productions in the fall and spring with a variety of smaller productions throughout the year. The 20192020 school year production lineup included Macbeth, in which Larson played the titular role.

When preparing for an audition, Larson likes to study the production’s history. To prep for Macbeth, he watched old film versions of the play and familiarized himself with the role of Macbeth, the Scottish nobleman prophesied to become King of Scotland.

After landing the spot, Larson then tried to find common ground between himself and the character.

“Finding a connection, trying to relate to the character is a big part of embodying the role,” he says. “I wasn’t playing a part; I was playing a little bit of myself projected on (Macbeth).”

Larson was able to hold on to the head and sword, props for his role as Macbeth, and posed with them in his senior photos.

His dedication and hard work in preparing for the role clearly paid off.

PHSC’s theater productions are a huge success and much of that has to do with the combined efforts of all involved. Larson commends the hard work of the directors, cast and crew for being able to continually put on successful shows.

“The teamwork between all the elements – the choir, the band and orchestra and cast – was what made our productions great,” he says. “The thing I really appreciated about Macbeth was the friendliness of the cast. Everybody got along, something that’s unique for a production. That helped the production so much, this tight-knit cast.”

Brewing Success

Larson’s dedication to the craft started early in high school and was cultivated during the next four years of acting.

“I grew up entirely in Pickerington. Freshman year was when I first got into theater,” he says. “I became obsessed with this sort of hobby.”

The cast and stage crew of Macbeth pose with a handful of audience members after a show.

His interest in music was piqued in middle school after taking a choir class. Despite having no background in music or performance, choir gave Larson the push to try something new.

It wasn’t until Larson’s first musical, A Christmas Carol, that he was bitten by the acting bug. He tried out for every single music production that followed.

“I am very organized, and my freshman year I created this goal that continued all of high school,” says Larson. “Freshman year, my goal was to get into one musical, and by senior year try to get a lead. I knew I

wanted to do something big, but I needed to take these small steps on the way.” As Larson became more involved in the school’s productions, he began to find inspiration from his peers. “My inspiration for acting came from a classmate,” he says. “I was in a production my sophomore year and one of my classmates tried out for a lead role. He had no prior singing experience, but he was completely dedicated and got the role through pure hard work.” At Miami University, Larson studies speech pathology and audiology. He’s a member of Miami’s glee club and looks forward to trying out for theater productions when auditions begin again. Reflecting on his high school performances, Larson offers advice for anyone interested in theater. “My advice is there is always something to pick up on, something to learn from every production,” he says. “The really important thing is to be open-minded, look at your peers and be patient.”

Madeline Malynn is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@ cityscenemediagroup.com.

YOU HAVE PROJECTS.

We Have Craftsmen.

Let Us Complete Those Projects for You

Your Trusted Home Ally 614.408.8096 AceHandymanServices.com

Handyman Matters is now Ace Handyman Services.