3 minute read
Hometown Brag: Drew Kenyon, GHS Class of 2013
By K. Coats
Sometimes we fumble around in life, trying to figure out what suits us. We try different things – often with varying degrees of success. Much of our youth is devoted to searching for what brings us joy and gives us purpose. Well, we obviously aren’t Grayson High School alumnus, Drew Kenyon. If we were, we would have known the answer to that from very early on. For Drew, everything begins with a prologue and ends with a bow. The stage is home, and all are welcome. In fact, Drew liked the stage so much that he decided to make it his life’s purpose to share it with others.
Throughout his time as a student at Grayson, Drew focused his activities on the theatre. He says, “I mostly participated in Grayson High School theatre. Basically all of my extracurricular time was devoted to that department with shows.” Drew credits his time there as having a huge impact. “Michelle Morea, my freshman theatre teacher, truly changed the course of my life,” he adds. But she wasn’t the only one. Drews also states, “My absolute favorite teacher I ever had was Dr. Christopher Blair, my freshman English teacher.” It would be Dr. Blair who covered such works as Romeo and Juliet and Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler with Drew and his classmates that freshman year.
Drew would graduate from Grayson High School in 2013 and go on to earn a BA in Theatre from Anderson University in 2019. Despite all of his roles and productions, Drew says, “Graduating college is probably my greatest achievement. I spent a little more time in college, but making the decision to go back and finish was the best decision I ever made. I went to college for theatre, but if I’m being honest, I didn’t really know what I was going to do with a degree in that major. Teaching has always been in my family, with my mom teaching at [Grayson] high school since it opened, so I tried to shoot down that avenue and ended up loving it!” Drew now resides in Greenville, South Carolina and is a theatre teacher at High Point Academy.
But just because he controls the rehearsal schedule doesn’t mean he’s slowing down anytime soon. “I mostly teach 6th to 8th grade, but I will be taking on high school as well in this upcoming school year,” he says. “I absolutely love my job and my kids, and I cannot wait to continue in this career!” And if that weren’t enough to occupy his time, Drew says, “I also work and participate in many different theaters within the upstate of South Carolina, which I consider a job, due to the hours it takes up in my life.” And one would think relocating to another state would be enough to limit his travels, but Drew puts a lot of miles in between Greenville and his hometown, Grayson, thanks to his other passion project, being the founder and executive artistic director of Grayson Shakespeare in the Park.
All of this goes back to one overriding motive – sharing Shakespeare with others, and Drew isn’t done yet. He explains, “For myself, I want to try and join a Master’s program in Shakespearean history and literature and teach as a college professor. I believe that teaching general theatre is a passion of mine, but more specifically, Shakespearean Studies is truly my calling.”
Drew adds, “I literally could not have accomplished anything I have in my younger adult life if it were not for the support of my family and fiancée Kelly.” In fact, you can find the whole Kenyon family helping alongside the other troupe members twice a year for Grayson Shakespeare in the Park.
So from all of us at Our Town, thank you, Drew, for sharing your
