AUSTIN BAKHSH
Local Student Thrives in the Spotlight Story by Kelly Harley | Photos by Tonya Perry
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ustin Bakhsh can captivate an audience. The Savannah Christian Preparatory School (SCPS) senior is a drama student stand out with a passion for musical theater and helping his community. It was early on when Austin’s love of drama took hold. As an audience member at his school’s musical production of Annie, Austin was impressed. “I saw people that I knew acting on stage and thought it looked like fun. It was something that I wanted to try,” says Austin. And try he did. In fifth grade, he became part of the school’s drama program. Donna Stembridge is the school’s drama and musical production director. She remembers when Austin came into the program. “Austin was very quiet at first. He quickly found his place within the drama community.” Austin has performed in 20 productions at his school and recently starred as Horton in the Seussical musical. That role allowed him to showcase his fantastic voice and his ability to immerse himself in character. “Musicals and plays are so much more believable if you put everything you can into every performance. I realized this is my last year, and you only have a short amount of time, and it goes fast. I wanted to put everything in this performance,” says Austin. Seussical holds a special place in Austin’s heart; it was the first musical that he ever performed in. “When I was young, I remember the bigger kids helping me out. Now I’m able to befriend the younger kids and help them. The amazing thing is there isn’t another crossover activity where different grade levels can participate together,” says Austin.
“At the end of the day, it’s not about you; it’s about the production as a whole. You have to have a team mentality because you’re representing yourself and your school.” Austin’s mother, Linda Bakhsh, realized that Austin is more than just good at acting and singing; he brings emotion to his roles. “With Horton, he brought the excitement, the fear, the sadness and hopelessness; he brought all of the emotions to the stage.” Another favorite production of Austin’s is Newsies. He was cast as Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World and father to Katherine Plumber, a reporter smitten with one of the newsboys. “Austin brings a calming presence to any performance,” says Stembridge. “He has a terrific sense of comedic timing, which he has used in his many dad roles throughout high school.” Beyond Drama Class The impact of drama on Austin’s life goes beyond his maturity in his roles. Drama has helped him mature in other areas of his life. “It has helped me socially, and I’m much more comfortable in public speaking and approaching people I don’t know. I’ve become more vocal and more comfortable talking to people.” Austin’s mom says he has developed into a star student as well. He takes advanced placement classes and is taking a dual enrollment math class that will apply credit towards college. “He has to balance activities and his grades. He has 10
www.PoolerMagazine.com | March/April 2020
