At St. Ambrose, there is a strong mix of traditional and non-traditional students. Some students start college right out of high school while others make the decision to come back to campus years later to finish their degree. One of the latter people is Jeremy Mahr.
Mahr is a non-traditional junior majoring in theatre. He has come to finish his degree here at SAU and made himself right at home in the department by taking on projects and working on various productions. It didn't take him long to get acclimated to his surroundings, and he fits right in to the commotion of the department.
There are a lot of different options when it comes to finishing a degree. Online is always an option, but there are also many schools to choose to attend. So, it's hard to make that decision.
When asked what made him come back to St. Ambrose, Mahr responded, "I love the flexibility to adjust the theatre courses to what one personally needs in their degree: their particular interests and focuses. Also, all the Ambrosian theatre grads I've met and worked with have been really fantastic people, so that speaks a lot about the program. Lastly, St. Ambrose is only three blocks away from my home."
Mahr has been busy working on projects here at Ambrose. Most recently, he worked on the spring main stage production, Tartuffe.
"I was a verse coach for Tartuffe," Mahr said. "Mostly, I dig into the script with the actors and discover how the words are put together on the page. We use that to inform characters from an outside-in type of approach."
"We also look at different ways to phrase the lines," Mahr continued. "Some of the characters have sentences that roll on for nearly half a page *cough-Cleante-cough*. The actor has to breathe sometime, so we find ways that we can make the lines personal for the actor and bring the audience along with us in the show. I love it."
When asked what his favorite memory of SAU is so far, Mahr said, "I'm horrible at remembering this type of thing, especially since the semester has been a whirlwind of wonderful things. So, I don't have a specific memory in mind, but what I love about the theatre program so far is that everyone is really supportive of each other. That's when I personally find that I am able to have my best work--when I feel like everyone believes that we all are stronger when we help everyone be the best they can be."
Still, Mahr must look to the future with only one year until graduation. So, what are Mahr's plans after school?
"Being in that weird non-trad student zone, I'll mostly keep on as I have been," Mahr said. "I work at my family's preschool, 'In A Kid's World,' in Rock Island. I want to bring some more theatre to kids there that are interested. Besides acting in area productions, I'd like to help out more with scenic design, costuming, and props. I'll also be performing improv with ComedySportz Quad Cities, soon to be in Illinois AND Iowa, which is super exciting."
Whenever someone with different life experiences comes to Ambrose, it's often important to ask for a new perspective and/or advice for newcomers in the department. Mahr had some great advice:
"Take some time and work out what your own personal values are. Really, just try it. It's easy to follow your instincts or go with the flow. But figuring out what is going on underneath it all will help get you through the parts of the semester that become super busy and overwhelming. And eat a vegetable now and then; carne asada burritos at Rogo [the Rogalski Center] only get you so far."
To bring this first-year focus to a close, Mahr left some closing words: "I'll quote Abraham Lincoln, ‘Be excellent to each other. And, party on dudes!'"
There's no better ending for this guy! Thank you, Jeremy Mahr, for being part of the department.
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