Senior Spotlight: Courtney Cook

If you've ever been involved in theatre, you would know that a lot of work goes unseen. The backstage crew members are often the unsung heroes of the production, and senior Courtney Cook from Princeton, Illinois, is no exception.

Cook had first started theatre when she was around eight years old, with summer acting and holiday shows. She then brought her love of theatre to St. Bede High School, in Peru, Illinois, and became an infamous stage rat.

"We were called stage rats," Cook smiled. " We were supposed to be the 'rats' that would sneak behind the curtains."

After graduating from St. Bede, Cook chose to go to St. Ambrose. She decided on a major in Theatre, with minors in both Print and Book and Theology. However, despite her packed schedule, Cook still finds time to do what she loves: theatre.

Cook's first theatre activities here at St. Ambrose occurred last year. She worked backstage on everything from lighting to costume designing. Her versatility can be seen in various productions she's participated in, including Admissions and Romeo and Juliet.

When asked about her favorite production, Cook mentioned Romeo and Juliet where she was a puppeteer and even made the puppets for the production.

"Romeo and Juliet is my favorite," Cook replied. "It's been so expansive, and has gone the entire summer. It's a different medium than what people are used to seeing and experiencing."

Cook has enjoyed all the productions she has helped with so far. When asked about her favorite memory, Cook was unsure for a second, evidently deciding how to simplify her theatre experience into a single memory. A couple seconds later, she grinned.

"When I took Theatre History 2, I met Cory [Johnson] for the first time, and it was also the first class I had with her," Cook recalled fondly. "She had asked me to do a skit with her where we were acting as two people who had not seen each other for a long time. She ran up to give me a hug, but I decided to surprise her by picking her up and spinning her around! Cory broke character for a second, because she wasn't expecting it."

While that was one of Cook's favorite memories, she emphasized that her entire theatre experience would be one to remember. She's grateful for Dr. Cory Johnson and her other mentors since each of her mentors have helped her at some point along her theatre journey.

"They each cover different things of the theatre experience," Cook explained. "Kris Eitrheim helped me learn about construction and building, Cory helped me with script analysis and directing, and Dan [Rairdin-Hale] taught me about the history behind theatre. I also worked with Aaron Hook in the workshop."

Cook plans on working with lighting after graduation also. She is going to take a couple gap years and afterwards plans to pursue a graduate degree in lighting and design. After that, she hopes to be working with lighting at concerts.
Cook's versatility has been a great help to the theatre program here, and she hopes to continue with her passion after graduation.

When asked to give advice to some of the theatre newcomers, Cook encouraged adaptability and openness to different roles.

"My advice is to really explore all aspects of theatre," Cook remarked. "You might be an actor, and think you only like acting, but it's very important to explore all the technical aspects of theatre in order to get a broader perspective."

If you want to see more of her work, Cook will be in charge of the lighting in the theatre program's upcoming production, The Lesson, and she also wants to be involved in the fall show, She Kills Monsters. Perhaps you will even see her around as she hopes to stay in the area for a couple years after her graduation and she plans on stopping by whenever she can. The theatre program wishes her luck with the rest of her time here on campus and whatever comes her way in the years to come.